“Vogue” by Madonna

“Vogue” came out in 1990 and is the second song by Madonna featured in this Pop Music English series.

The video clip below is her performance at the 1990 MTV Music Awards, where she won three awards for her glamorous, 1930s-style, black and white, music video. You can see that video if you click here. I didn’t use it here because, unfortunately, that copy freezes for about one minute towards the end of the song.

Madonna, her singers, and dancers presented a dramatic theatrical performance of “Vogue” at the MTV Music Awards wearing costumes inspired by the 1988 film “Dangerous Liaisons.”

It’s interesting to see how much her musical style had changed only seven years after “Holiday” came out in 1983. But, she still has the same positive message about having a great time and taking action to make the most out every opportunity you have! This song is also useful to teach some American culture because I will discuss a little about each of the superstars she mentions in it.

Strike a pose.
Strike a pose.
Vogue. (Vogue. Vogue.)
Vogue. (Vogue. Vogue.)

Oooh, you’ve got to
Let your body move to the music.
Oooh, you’ve got to just
Let your body go with the flow.
Oooh, you’ve got to just
Vogue. (Vogue. Vogue. Vogue. Vogue. Vogue.)

EXPLANATION OF PHRASES

1. “Strike a pose.”

“Strike a pose” is slang for “hold a dramatic or interesting pose,” usually for purposes of having your photograph taken or having your portrait painted.

2. “Vogue.”

“Vogue” is a highly-stylized dance form started by gay or homosexual men in Harlem, New York. It became popular in gay dance clubs in the 1970s and 1980s. It was called “Vogue” because the dancers suddenly froze in different—and sometimes contorted—poses struck by the models in high-fashion magazine, such as Vogue.

3. “Everywhere you turn, it’s heartache.”

This sentence can mean “everywhere you turn, you see nothing but heartache experienced by other people.” Or, it can mean “everywhere you turn, all you see are things that make your own heart ache.”

4. “It’s everywhere that you go.”

This can mean “you see other people’s heartache everywhere that you go” or “your heart will ache wherever you go.”

5. “You try everything you can to escape the pain of life that you know.”

This sentence seems to make clear that the singer was referring to the listener’s personal heartache as opposed to other people’s heartaches. “The pain of life that you know” probably means “your daily troubles,” similar to the theme in “Holiday.”

6. “When all else fails and you long to be something better than you are today, I know a place where you can get away.”

“When all else fails” means “when everything you tried doesn’t work.” “You long to be something better than you are today” means “you strongly desire to have a better life than you currently have.” “A place where you can get away” means “a place where you can escape your troubles temporarily.”

7. “It’s called a dance floor. And, here’s what it’s for. So … come on, vogue.”

The “place where you can get away” is the dance floor. “Here’s what it’s for” means “the dance floor is the place to “vogue” or “strike the poses.”

8. “Let your body go with the flow.”

“To go with the flow” usually means “doing what everyone else is doing.” However, here it means “go with the flow or beat of the music.”

9. “Go inside for your finest inspiration. Your dreams will open the door.”

“Go inside for your finest inspiration” probably means “search inside your imagination for your best inspiration about which poses to strike on the dance floor.” “Your dreams will open the door” probably means “your own fantasies about being glamorous will release your creativity so that you will find the dance moves or vogue poses that express your personality best.”

10. “If the music’s pumpin’, it will give you life. You’re a superstar.”

“If the music is pumping” can mean “if the music is great” or “if you really like the music.” Or, it can mean “if the music has a strong, fast beat.”

“It will give you life” can mean “it will give you energy, excitement, or confidence.” “You’re a superstar” can mean “if you vogue on the dance floor to music you love, you can feel and act like a superstar.”

11. “Let your body groove to the music.”

“Groove” is used here as a verb. It means “dance.” In Madonna’s 1987 song “Into the Groove,” she sang, “Get into the groove,” using “groove” as a noun to mean “beat of the music.” Many words in English can be used as both a verb and a noun.

12. “Beauty’s where you find it—not just where you bump and grind it.”

In the context of this song, “it” probably means “desired feelings.” Hence, “beauty is where you find it” can mean “appreciation and expression of beautiful things, such as glamorous poses, is also exciting and pleasurable.”

“To bump and grind” is slang for “to engage in sex.” Therefore, “not just where you bump and grind it” means “beauty can be as desirable or enjoyable as sex.”

13. “Soul is in the musical. That’s why I feel so beautiful—magical.”

“Soul” can mean “mind,” “heart,” or “essence of a person’s identity, personality, or beliefs.” The word “musical” is being used here to mean “something that is related to music,” as opposed to the more common use of the word to mean “musical theater,” a genre of theatre in which the actors tell parts of the story with singing and dancing.

“Magical” is an adjective that can mean “unbelievably good.” Therefore, “that’s why I feel so beautiful—magical” can mean “I feel so unbelievably good and beautiful when I express my true personality by voguing to the music.”

14. “Life’s a ball.”

“A ball” is a “party.” So, this sentence means “life is a party” or “life is fun.”

THE SUPERSTARS

1. Greta Garbo (1905 - 1930): Silent film actress from age 17 to 25, then sound film actress until age 36. Beautiful and mysterious, she was once given the title of the most beautiful woman that ever lived by the Guinness Book of World Records. Best known films: Anna Karenina (1935); Camille (1936); and Ninotchka (1939). One of MGM’s biggest stars and its first beloved foreign femme fatale.

2. Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962): Actress, model, and singer from age 21 to 36, when she died of an overdose of sleeping pills. Best known films: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953); How to Marry a Millionaire (1953); and Some Like it Hot (1959).

3. Marlene Dietrich (1901 - 1992): Actress, singer, and entertainer from age 18 to 83. Best known films: The Blue Angel (1929); Destry Rides Again (1939); Witness for the Prosecution (1957); and Judgment at Nuremburg (1961). Dietrich (deep voice with strong German accent) was Paramount Pictures answer to MGM’s Greta Garbo (deep voice with strong Swedish accent).

4. Joe DiMaggio (1914 - 1999): Major League Baseball slugger and center-fielder for the New York Yankees from age 22 to 37. Known for his graceful playing style, fifth highest career home runs (361), sixth highest slugging percentage (.579), a 56-game hitting streak in 1941, and the only player to be selected for the All-Star game during every season that he played. Equally well-known for his marriage to Marilyn Monroe and for sending roses to her crypt for the next 20 years.

5. Marlon Brando (1924 - 2004): Stage and film actor from age 20 to 80, when he died. Best known films: A Streetcar Named Desire (1951); On the Waterfront (1954); The Godfather (1972); Last Tango in Paris (1973); and Apocalypse Now (1979). Considered one of the greatest actors of all time.

6. Jimmy Dean (1931 - 1955): Stage and film actor from age 20 to 24, when he died in a car accident. Best known films: East of Eden (1953); Rebel without a Cause (1955); and Giant (1956). Icon for teenage rebellion ever since.

7. Grace Kelly (1920 - 1982): Model and stage and film actress from age 12 to 27, when she married the Prince of Monaco and became Princess Grace of Monaco. She died in a car accident at age 52. Best known films: High Noon (1952); Rear Window (1954); and To Catch a Thief (1955).

8. Jean Harlowe (1911 -1937): Actress from age 16 to 26, when she died of kidney disease. She was the original platinum bombshell. Best known films: The Public Enemy (1931); Hell’s Angels (1930); and Red Dust (1932).

9. Gene Kelly (1912 - 1996): Dancer, actor, singer, producer, director, and choreographer from age 30 to 73. Best known films: Anchors Aweigh (1945); On the Town (1949); and Singin’ in the Rain (1952).

10. Fred Astaire (1899 - 1987): Stage, film, and TV dancer, choreographer, singer, and actor from age 18 to 82. The most influential dancer in film history and often partnered with Ginger Rogers. Best known films: The Gay Divorcee (1934); Holiday Inn (1942); and Easter Parade (1948).

11. Ginger Rogers (1911 - 1995): Stage and film actress, dancer, and singer from age 17 to 54. Best known films: 42nd Street (1933); Swing Time (1936); and Kitty Foyle (1941), for which she won the Best Actress Academy Award.

12. Rita Hayworth (1918 - 1987): Stage and film actress and dancer from age 8 to 54. She died at age 68 of Alzheimer’s Disease. Best known films: You’ll Never Get Rich (1941); You Were Never Lovelier (1942); Cover Girl (1944); and Gilda (1946).

13. Lauren Bacall (1924 - present): Stage and film actress and model from age 20 to her present age of 83. Best known films: To Have and Have Not (1944); The Big Sleep (1946); and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).

14. Katherine Hepburn (1907 - 2003): Stage and film actress from age 21 to 87. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her the best actress of all time. She still holds the most Best Actress Academy Awards with four wins from twelve nominations. Best known films: Little Women (1933); Bringing Up Baby (1938); The Philadelphia Story (1940); The African Queen (1951); and On Golden Pond (1981).

15. Lana Turner (1921 - 1995): Actress from age 16 to 70. Called “The Sweater Girl” for the form-fitting clothes she wore in her first film, They Won’t Forget (1937). Best known films: The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946); Peyton Place (1957); and Imitation of Life (1959).

16. Bette Davis (1908 - 1989): Stage, film, and TV actress from age 21 to 81, when she died from breast cancer. In 1999, the American Film Institute listed her as the second best actress of all time, behind Katherine Hepburn. Best known films: Of Human Bondage (1934); All About Eve (1950); Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962); and The Whales of August (1987).

CONCLUSION

We began our lessons in Pop Music English words and usage by studying the lyrics of three popular songs from from the 1960s: “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude” by the Beatles and “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison. Then, from the the 1970s, we studied the following three pop hits: “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain and Tennille, “Dancing Queen” by Abba, and “Emotion” by Samantha Sang.

Next, we moved to the 1980s with “Flashdance, What a Feeling!” by Irene Cara, “True” by Spandau Ballet, and “Holiday” by Madonna. Now that we’ve moved into the 1990s with “Vogue” by Madonna, we will continue to the 2000s next with “Get the Party Started” by Pink and, finally, end with “Pump It” by Black Eyed Peas.

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